salt

Certainly, as an American citizen, one has the right to generally say whatever one desires about whomever or whatever one may choose as a right protected by our nation’s constitution. Benjamin Franklin once stated:

Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government; when this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved and tyranny is erected on its ruins.

However, in March of 2016, a post-grad student at the University of Sheffield was expelled from a college course for making a personal Facebook comment about same sex marriage. Felix Ngole, a committed believer, was found guilty of “bringing the profession into disrepute” because he quoted a biblical text in his post. While we, as American Christians, are indeed empowered to stand against those attempting to make a mockery of our faith and our right to speak openly and freely, we also have a higher mandate and deeper obligation to align ourselves in our personal speech with the truths that we claim to uphold and adhere to in/with our lives.

Unquestionably, Jesus spoke freely concerning truth, whether rightful in the sight of the law, the lawmakers, or the audience. However, His words were always (100%) molded and guided by God’s Holy Spirit … actually being the exact same response that God the Father would have spoken in the same situation. Was He prepared to offend? Surely. God created human beings with the ability to use logic, reason, and participate in forms of argumentation. In fact, many of Christ’s teachings were designed to appeal to these exact traits found within humanity. We are not to be treated as delicate little feathers who must be personally protected from dissenting views.

In reality, there will always be a vocal minority, or in even in some cases, the majority who will oppose almost anything. Some will be totally against truth — anything having to do with God, Christ, or the Bible, as well as any concepts working to distinguish the absolutes of right and wrong, or values and mores of righteous Christian living. Therefore, are believers free to say anything they want about anyone or anything they want, whenever they want? Colossians 4:6 reminds us:

Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

Actually, at least for me, it’s difficult to combine GRACE (the idea/spirit of unmerited/undeserved favor) with SALT (endurance, offering preservation against corruption, wise, moral value, wholesome, and a lasting or proven worth) as part of the same ideal/concept in my speech … with my words. Yet, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, this is my scriptural admonition.

In the above stated passage, believers are instructed concerning their conversations. The very words that are spoken should both exemplify and recommend the ways of Christ and His word. Let them be not only pure, as well as holy, but wise, gracious, and intelligent. Often a harsh method of defending or proposing sound doctrine and/or a Christian lifestyle only serves to repel individuals from the truth they so desperately need in their lives, including the forgiveness of sin and Christ’s indescribable gift of salvation.

This verse also encourages a judicially managed discourse … “so that you will know how you should respond to each person .” In Acts 17:16-34, the Apostle Paul is ministering at the Areopagus. Instead of using biblical texts and arguments familiar to a monotheistic God-fearing group of native of proselytized Jews, He communicates reasonably, graciously, and persuasively with truth in an uncompromising fashion. However, guided by God’s Holy Spirit, he speaks to a biblically illiterate, pagan audience in a style and with terminology they can fully comprehend. That’s GRACE and SALT!

Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, “We shall hear you again concerning this. Acts 17:32-34

So Paul went out of their midst. But some men joined him and believed.

While most of us find great joy in the liberty we call “freedom of speech” as Americans, it’s difficult to support this concept as a pure “Christian right.” We speak or share the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Christians do not allow their speech cause them to sin (Ecclesiastes 5:6), and in fact, we put aside abusive speech (Colossians 3:8). According to Titus 2:8, believers speak soundly, which is above reproach, and not against one another (James 4:11). It actually all comes down to this from Colossians 3:17:

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Our freedom of speech, as faithful followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ, is a tremendous blessing and great opportunity of speaking that which glorifies the Lord and is guided/directed by His Holy Spirit in agreement with His word/truth. We are equipped, as no others … just as Christ was while carrying out His mission on earth … just as the Apostle Paul did in Athens, to speak as the utterances of God (I Peter 4:11) in, and to, every situation and circumstance.

What do you think, can we do this? — PF

Have you ever heard the term, “not worth his/her salt?” That concept comes from the Latin word “salarium” from which we get the English word, salary. The “sal” of “salarium” actually means salt. A soldier in the Roman Empire might have actually have been paid in salt blocks due to the fact that it was a valuable commodity and could easily be traded or sold in any country or region’s market place.

In biblical times, salt was recognized as a necessity for life as referenced in the extra biblical writing, Ecclus 39:26:

“The principal things for the whole use of man’s life are water, fire, iron, and salt, flour of wheat, honey, milk, and the blood of the grape, and oil, and clothing.”

In Judaism, according to Leviticus 2:13, salt was a required additive to offerings and was spiritually symbolic within a covenant.

“Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.”

In the Middle East, when men ate together, they became friends – thus the Arabic expressions, “there is salt between us” or “he has eaten of my salt,” which means partaking of hospitality which cemented friendships. Since salt was valuable, needed as a preservative, and used to enhance taste, it became symbolic of an enduring covenant relationship.

Abimelech, a judge of Israel, sowed salt over his own capital city, Shechem, after quelling a revolt against him around 1050 BC (See Judges 9:35). We know historically, that this became a common practice in the Roman Empire as well. They also used this same sowing process to sterilize soil and keep vegetation from damaging their roadways.

Turning to the New Testament, we find salt used practically, as well as symbolically. In Matthew 5:13, Christ Jesus declares,

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

It is clearly understood that sodium chloride is a stable compound that does not disintegrate … losing its “saltiness.” However, the common salt in Israel was primarily salt from the Dead Sea, aka Salt Sea, which was highly contaminated with other minerals. As a result, it would dissolve and could become (in the process of evaporation which was used to separate the salt from the water) a tasteless substance. These salts all diminished in flavor and/or usefulness over time. Therefore, this fact provides contextual understanding to Christ’s statement in this passage.

Here, our Lord is speaking to His followers and those gathered to hear Him teach, which is a Hebrew/Jewish audience. He also makes similar references in the other Synoptic Gospels (see Mark 9:50 and Luke 14:34). Jesus’ potential followers could/should have ultimately (as their faith developed) become like salt in that they would create a thirst in others for greater information and understanding … enhancing the taste. When one sees a unique individual, who possesses superior qualities in specific areas, one desires to discover why that person’s life is distinctly different from others in the world. It’s also possible that salt, as a preservative (a means and method familiar in that society – particularly among fishermen), means these individuals would/could/should serve as a preservative restraint against the evils in society. Whichever view is taken, the important and significant quality to denote in Christ’s teaching is that the salt must absolutely maintain its basic trait/characteristic. If, somehow it fails to be salty, then it has definitely lost its purpose for existence and should be discarded.

Is there a message here for believers in Christ’s 21^st century church? While I, personally, use little salt on my food, and frankly don’t understand why some people ruin an excellent food’s taste by over-salting it, or even salting before tasting — in this case the more salt/saltiness the better! Shake it out.

Are you salty? Think about it, pray about it … then do something about it. Let’s all agree to be — worth our salt!

His & Yours, Because of GRACE (God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense)

Tag: salt

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

SALT